Chinese development team Pangu has released the latest version of its jailbreak software for iOS 8 devices. This update works to jailbreak iOS 8 to iOS 8.1 untethered on the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 5s, 5c, 5, 4s, all iPads, and the iPod Touch 5.

Team Pangu worked quickly for this update, given the popularity and demand for untethering on Apple's latest devices. This latest update for the Pangu8 software includes a number of bug fixes and minor enhancements, including a compatibility fix for Cydia and iMessage. Because of the nature of this jailbreak tool releasing so quickly, installation requires a few extra manual steps, unlike previous versions that could install with just a couple clicks.

Jailbreaking an iOS device is a method of removing certain limitations on the operating system's security, allowing root access and the availability to run software not approved specifically for iOS devices. Android is famously much more relaxed about such root access, even going so far as to promote it for app developers in a more open-source environment.

But Apple is notorious for having a tighter grip on what their products can and can't have access to, as with Steve Jobs' famous exclusion of Flash from the iPhone. Jailbreaking allows more customization than Apple would recommend, including multiple carrier allowance and tethering cellular usage on laptops through the iPhone.

While jailbreaking isn't illegal worldwide, it could potentially be used to circumnavigate certain locks on digital rights management (DRM) in music, movies, video games, and more. The United States' Digital Millennium Copyright Act actually allows for exceptions with jailbreaking. This law was passed in 1998, updated in 2012, and provides exception until 2015, at which time it's believed that the nation's government will revisit the issue. For now, there are no laws against jailbreaking phones in the United States.

If you plan to use Pangu's jailbreak tool for your iOS 8.1 device, be sure to back up everything first, remove your passcode, and turn off the "Find My iPhone" feature. Pangu warns that upgrading to iOS 8 will remove your previous iOS 7.x jailbreak, and there's no way to go back to 7.x afterwards. This latest Pangu8 version has been tested by the team to successfully work on most iOS 8.1 devices, and the process is simple:

• Launch the Pangu app found on your Home screen
• Tap the Manager tab at the bottom of the screen
• Choose Update tab and locate the download link for Pangu 8.0-8.1 Untether update.
• Tap the Download (arrow) button to install the update.
• Once the new untether .deb file is downloaded, a message prompt suggests you to reboot your device to complete the update installation.